Why did you create the ant farm?

Have you ever owned an ant farm? Why? Because you just liked to watch them mill around? Because you like to see how they interact? Because you like to see how they make a life for themselves?

Why do you think God created the earth and people? Obviously ants are different than people in this example but the question is still valid. Why did God create people? Why did God create the earth?

I believe God created people for the same reason most people choose to have children. I believe he wanted to have others to share his knowledge and wisdom with. I believe he wanted to have others to share his incredible love with. I believe he created the earth to give us a wonderful place to live and take care of.

Why do you think God created the earth and people?

Her first slumber party

Tonight is the first night that JCG is spending the night away from home with someone other than family. B is sad because it is just a reminder that JCG is getting older. Don't worry B, JCG will always be your girl.

Is God vain?

Why do you think God requires/asks us to worship him? Is it because he is vain? Obviously he desrves it but don't we think more highly of those that deserve praise and worship but do not ask it of us?

Is he vain for asking for our praise and worship?

I believe there is more to him asking for us to praise and worship him. I believe there is a deep psychological meaning to why God wants us to focus on him and not ourselves. I believe it is because he knows that we can operate at the highest level possible when we are thinking about him and not ourselves. I believe this is why he also tells us to think of other before ourselves. I believe God welcomes those that are angry with him. He knows that our lives are tough. He knows that we are incapable of living our lives to the fullest without his knowledge and wisdom.

So in addition to offering our praise and worship to God because he deserves no less, you should praise and worship God because he knows that it will greatly benefit you psychologically as well as spritiually.

Thank you God for another incredibly blessed year in your care. You have blessed me and my family without measure. You are truly the most important thing in our lives. We offer ourselves to you in 2008. Please use us in the best ways possible to allow people to see your glory in us. Please continue to look after me and my family as we navigate through next year. Please help us all to make the best decisions possible regarding our jobs, our money, our family and most importantly in our relationship with you.

We praise you with our whole heart and with our whole mind.

I suppose my predisposition towards an Apple computer or "Mac", as it is lovingly referred to, was due to my close proximity to those that regularly used Windows based PC's. Not that they had an affinity for them, it was what was put in front of them and it was what they were used to. I too was always exposed to a PC and never a mac.

Well all of that changed last month when work asked me if I wanted to replace my 2 year old Dell laptop with a 24" IMac. I looked it over and decided that I would give it a shot. The owner and one of the engineers spoke so highly of it that I wanted to give it a try. I knew there was no going back whether I liked it or not.

So I took the plunge. I went to Best Buy and bought a brand new 24" IMac. This thing was HUGE. I mean it was HUGE. For the first few weeks I had it, I had to unprogram myself from all the years of working with Windows based products.

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Windows is already lagging behind Apple. The problem is that Windows is so entrenched in the marketplace that no one knows anything different.

If you haven't tried a Mac and you get a chance.....do it. If you are one of those staunch Windows loving people then just know that you do NOT know of what you speak. Apple has their stuff together.

Flat panel televisions

I had been looking at flat panel televisions for about 12 months. I knew that the huge 36 SONY Wega was going to go anytime. So I wanted to be ready with what I wanted to purchase. Buying a new television is a special thing for the human male. Its like purchasing a car stereo when we were in high school. I can remember looking at car stereos for weeks and weeks. I knew I could only make one choice because I was limited on funds.

Well the same is relatively true now. So my first decision was between Plasma and LCD. LCD seemed like the safe choice. With everyone warning me about the glare that can been seen on a Plasma as well as the still image burn in issue, I was pretty scared off by Plasma. However LCD is more expensive. A 42" LCD will be several hundred dollars more expensive than its 42" Plasma counterpart.

So I found a 37" VIZIO LCD HDTV at Wal-Mart for $767.00. It seemed like a bargain. So I bought it and brought it home. I was excited. We went and got the HD receiver from Time Warner Cable. We hooked it all up and I was amazed. I was happy. Then I turned the TV on. There are two main reasons why VIZIO is able to sell their TV's so cheaply.

First they put the weakest and worst sounding sound system on the TV. It literally sounds like they took one speaker and stuck it in a box. The sound was terrible. Then B began to notice that when actual human beings would get really blown up close their skin began to look splotchy. This is where I learned about Contract Ratio.

Contract Ratio is probably the single most important aspect of a new flat panel TV. More so than LCD or Plasma or anything else. As it turns out the new TV I bought had an aspect ratio of 1000:1. Just as a comparison to real TV's the high end SONY flat panel TV's have an aspect ratio of 20000:1.

So I was still "happy" with the TV because it was very bright and did show HD channels. But the sound was crappy and I felt like I got ripped off. So just know what to look for when you are shopping for the next TV you purchase.